Guitar teacher arraigned in connection with 13-year-old student’s rape
Zack Quaintance and Sara Perkins
February 19, 2008 - 1:34PM
McALLEN — A guitar teacher charged with raping a 13-year-old student during a lesson later asked her not to tell her mother, court documents show.

Authorities arraigned Jaime A. Suarez, 31, on a charge of sexual assault of a child Tuesday in McAllen Municipal Court.

Suarez owns Mozart House Art and Music on the 1700 block of West Dove Avenue.

The incident allegedly happened on Valentine’s Day, during the girl’s guitar lesson from Suarez.

He allegedly locked the door and told her not to scream or be scared. The girl then told police that Suarez forced himself on her as she cried for him to stop.

The girl’s family reported the incident to police and detectives obtained consent from the family to record a phone conversation between the girl and Suarez.

During the conversation, Suarez asked the girl not to tell her mother about the assault, according to the probable cause affidavit in the case.

Keith Livesay, a McAllen-based attorney, represents Suarez, and he said his client plans to plead not guilty. Livesay hadn’t spoke with his client as of Tuesday evening because authorities were still processing him, but he said Suarez’s family disputes the case.

Many times, people assume suspects in child abuse investigations are guilty without the case going to trial, the attorney said.

“Child abuse has a very bad stigma, but there are all instances where people are falsely accused,â€